Site dependence of local variations in taxonomic and functional diversity of plant communities in semi-natural dry grasslands

• Published in: Plant ecology 2023, Vol.224 (1), p.95-111
• Main Authors: Mugnai, Michele, Ferretti, Giulio, Gesuelli, Edoardo, Nuti, Leonardo, Di Natale, Stefano, Corti, Emilio, Viciani, Daniele, Lazzaro, Lorenzo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Applied Ecology; Biodiversity; Biodiversity hot spots; Biological diversity; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Community & Population Ecology; Ecology; Grasslands; Habitats; Life Sciences; Plant communities; Plant diversity; Plant Ecology; Species diversity; Taxonomy; Terrestial Ecology
• ISSN: 1385-0237; 1573-5052
• DOI: 10.1007/s11258-022-01282-1

Grasslands represent biodiversity hotspots in temperate Europe and, for this reason, have been extensively studied in the last century. As diversity is the result of a multitude of processes that shape communities, the adoption of a multi-faceted approach (i.e., encompassing taxonomic and functional facets simultaneously) is fundamental to assessing the biodiversity of grassland habitats. Moreover, considering different components of diversity, such as alpha and beta, is crucial to properly distinguish small- (e.g., habitat and biotic filters) and broad-scale (e.g., dispersal limitation) processes acting on communities. Accordingly, we adopted a broad approach, taking into account alpha and beta diversity components of plant diversity to assess whether small-scale changes in grassland biodiversity are site-dependent. Additionally, such framework has been improved addressing a multi-faceted perspective, thus considering both taxonomic and functional diversity. The grasslands investigated are classified as high conservation priority habitats, and we surveyed them in two biogeographical regions in Italy. In each area, on a small scale, the grassland habitat has two distinct community types, and in each of these, we surveyed vegetation and measured four plant traits. Our results showed that plant α-diversity differed taxonomically and functionally only between the two sites, while β-diversity also showed local functional differentiation. Furthermore, we demonstrated that while taxonomic β-diversity is mostly due to species turnover, functional β-diversity is equally due to turnover and nestedness.